In 1340 King
Peter II of Sicily had given Raimondo Peralta , without any mention about the castle; in fact, it is quoted, for the first time, in a diploma dated 1391. In this document the King Martino I confirmed to Enrico Ventimiglia, the concession made to his father, Guarnerio, by King Federico III
de la terra e lu Castellu di Alcamu. it was a mansion and a defensive structure until the 16th century. If equipped with munitions and food, it could resist for a month and a half, quartering 30 companies of soldiers. In 1392
king Martino and his wife were hosted in the castle after the Chiaramontes' defeat, and on September 1, 1535 the emperor
Carlo V, during his return from his
Tunis victory, lodged in one of its towers with his court and the infanta Eleonora d'Aragona. In 1534 the castle was attacked by the Islamic pirate
Barbarossa. From 1583 and until 1589 it had three restorations. Since 1828, further to a sentence by Trapani Law Court, Alcamo municipality came into possession of the castle and in the following years it was used as a seat of
municipal offices,
prison and
stable. In 1870 there was another restoration. After the last restorations (made between 2000 and 2010), it has been used as the seat of the Ethnographic Museum and of the Historical Regional Vintage Wines Stock. == Description ==